


In the Lists

by owlmoose



Series: Pieces of Thedas [51]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Banter, F/M, Flash Fic, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 06:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6185005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlmoose/pseuds/owlmoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blackwall and Varric talk about jousting and discover the limits of personal honor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Lists

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the series of banters that Varric and Blackwall have on this subject. Spoilers for Blackwall's backstory and personal quest.

“So, any word out of Wycome at that last outpost?”

Varric shook his head. “Not that I heard, anyway. But I gather that Ser Francois’s undefeated streak is on the line.”

“Hmm.” Blackwall tapped his sword blade, testing the edge again. “Five in a row. I doubt he can keep it going much longer, although depending on who’s in the lists–”

Malika Cadash looked up from her map with a sigh. “Tourneys? Again? Are we in for yet another day of scintillating talk of jousts and melees and who’s hitting whom with a sword this week?”

Blackwell raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t follow jousting? A good Ostwick girl like you?”

Malika shook her head. “The entire subject bores me to tears, I’m afraid. I’ve never paid any attention to any match I wasn’t fixing, and even then–”

“Fixing?!” Blackwall almost dropped his whetstone. “You mean, the Carta…”

Varric snorted. “What rock have you been living under, Hero? Of course the Carta fixes jousting matches. All the time.” He caught Malika’s eye. “Right?”

“‘Fraid so,” Malika replied with a shrug. “I mean, not literally all the time, or it would get too obvious. Just when a big enough purse is on the line, and we could make it worth someone’s while to nudge the results in a particular direction. I’d wager that maybe half the major upsets in the last ten years were the Carta’s doing.”

Blackwall let out a sigh, heavy with disillusionment. “Is nothing sacred?”

“Nope.” Malika patted his beard. “So, you’re telling me that no one ever approached you about throwing a fight?”

“Never.” He shook his head for emphasis. “And I wouldn’t have taken the bargain if they had.”

Malika tipped her head sideways. “Cheating in a tourney? That’s where you draw the line?”

He looked at her, then cracked a wry smile. “I suppose it seems odd, considering. But there you go. The old Thom Rainier would stoop to murder for coin, but not to doing anything other than his honest best in a melee. I suppose you think that strange.”

“No stranger than some of the trade-offs I made, back in the day.” Malika folded up the map and stuck it in her pocket. “None of us have clean hands in the end.”

“If I’m being honest, it’s also about pride,” Blackwall said. “If I lost on purpose, I would never know if I could’ve won. It’s one thing to lose; it’s another not to even try.” He glanced down at her. “I don’t know if that makes sense.”

“Oh, it does.” Malika looked at her left fist, at the light winking from its center. “I might understand that better than anybody.”

Varric leaned back on a boulder and crossed his arms. “You ever think about getting back in the game?” he asked. “It’d make a hell of a story. And the odds against you would be staggering. We could make a fortune, once all this is over.”

Blackwall chuckled. “It’s tempting, I admit. But I think not. I’d be a sideshow, and a target. I’m happy to remain a spectator.”

“If you change your mind, I’m sure I could find some eager backers,” Malika said drily. “But for now, can we get back to saving the world?”

Blackwell checked his sword one last time, then leaned over to kiss Malika on the cheek before putting his whetstone away. “An honest battle, and one worth fighting. Lead the way, my dear.”


End file.
